


Corner of the room

by siojo



Series: marcoace week 2016 [4]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Drinking, M/M, Masquerade, possible organized crime au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-15
Updated: 2016-12-15
Packaged: 2018-09-08 19:02:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,553
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8857216
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/siojo/pseuds/siojo
Summary: Ace is tired of the parties that Roger throws to network, which is why this is his corner hiding place and he is not leaving it.
marcoace day 4: masks





	

Ace doesn't particularly like masquerades. There were far too many people wanting to talk about his father's work and to cozy up to anyone in the family for various reasons.

 

And it's not like it's hard to figure out who belongs to the Gol-Portgas family when everyone knows that they crowd the buffet table and eat like animals. At least that's how he's heard one of his father's underlings put it.

 

The people don't bother Luffy half as much as they do Ace, but that could be because the last time someone tried to cozy up to his cousin to gain something, their body had been found in a alleyway and no one was sure who had put it there, though Sabo had looked remarkably smug for weeks. The speculation was enough to discourage anyone else from trying to get closer than polite.

 

“I hadn't realized this corner was taken,” Ace fixes a smile onto his face turning to greet whoever had stumbled upon his hiding place only to pause. “I can leave if you want, I'm trying to hide from my brothers.”

 

“It's fine,” Ace says smile becoming real. “I'm hiding too. I mean obviously, why else would I be over here and-”

 

The man laughs, “I understand.”

 

Ace ducks his head, never more ecstatic that the mask he wore covered his cheeks, peeking at the other out the corner of his eye.

 

He was handsome, for all that his haircut was a little, strange. His mask highlighted his eyes and, Ace really needed to stop listening to Koala and his mother's fashion advice. It was bad enough that he remembered it, he didn't need to apply it to others.

 

“Why are you hiding from your brothers?” Ace asks finally unable to stop himself.

 

“One of them, the pompadour, you can see him over there,” He points and Ace wonders how he missed that. “Is going to do something. I'm not sure what but he and the one in the kimono have been whispering and nothing good ever comes of that. What about you? Why are you hiding?”

 

“My dad wants me to network and I just,” Ace shrugs, it's not entirely a lie. His dad was always telling him to network. “How are you suppose to network if you don't know who is who?”

 

“I think the only people recognizable are the hosts and their most notable allies anyways.”

 

“Yeah, it's not like you can miss them. Or Shanks and Newgate,” Ace blinks at the look shot his way. “What?”

 

“Newgate?”

 

Ace nods, “He and my dad know each other, I guess. I'm not sure of the details.”

 

“Hm, I'm Marco, by the way.”

 

“Spade.”

 

Marco snorts into the glass of champagne he was holding, “Spade?”

 

“Is there a problem with my name?”

 

“No, it's a fine name,” Marco grins. “For a playing card.”

 

“I don't think I want to share my corner with you anymore if you are going to be so mean to me,” Ace declares with a pout. “How could you say such words to me?”

 

“I'm sure you can forgive me,” Marco says finishing off his glass. “Think I can sneak out for another glass and return unscathed?”

 

Ace grabs the bottle that he had asked the waitstaff to hide for him from it's ice bucket, “Or you could ask nicely.”

 

“You are my favorite person and I don't even know what you look like,” Marco states freverently. “Please don't make me go back out there and risk discovery.”

 

Ace pours him a glass, refilling his own before returning the bottle to the bucket, glancing back out at the room and groaning.

 

“What?” Marco asks glancing over at him.

 

“Newgate and Gol,” Calling his father by their shared last name is strange. “Have started a drinking contest.”

 

And Ace had missed the start of it, from the look of things. There were several empty bottles on the table and both men were chugging down another. He could see his mother resting her face in her hand as Rayleigh pat her back. There was a reason that Newgate and his people were rarely invited to these parties, not because they weren't allied, but because his father got distracted having fun with his friend instead of talking to the guests, like he was suppose to.

 

“Damn it,” Marco scowls throwing back the rest of his drink. “I don't suppose you have anything stronger, do you?”

 

“The painting is a mini-fridge,” Ace answers. “It's fully stocked.”

 

Marco stares at him, “How do you know that?”

 

“Luffy,” Ace lies nodding to where Luffy is holding court with his own men, Nami having vanished into the crowd and Robin and Franky on the dance floor. “We're friends.”

 

“I'll have to thank him when we leave. How do you open this?”

 

Ace opens it, taking care to keep it from fully opening, and letting Marco sort through what was inside.

 

“Do you want anything?”

 

“This is my third bottle,” Ace nods at the champagne. “And even you only had one glass. I'm sure I'm good.”

 

“Thanks for this. I'm with Newgate, we're going to have to drag him out to the car if he keeps this up and he won't stop until he passes out or Gol does.”

 

Ace knows, he may not have ever seen Marco around before, but he has seen this happen more than he likes to think about. Marco throws back his glass and sighs.

 

“Want to dance?”

 

“I thought we were hiding?” Ace says smiling.

 

“Everyone seems pretty distracted and you can tell your dad that you spoke at length to one of Newgate’s people. It's technically networking.”

 

Ace stares at Marco for a long moment before finishing off his drink, “Alright let's do this.”

 

Marco smiles, taking Ace's hand and leading him out onto the dance floor, carefully avoiding the group that he had pointed at earlier as the next song started.

 

“I feel that I should ask if you know how to dance,” Marco says turning to face Ace. “Mostly because I want to know how badly my toes are going to hurt tomorrow.”

 

“I can dance. Not horribly well, but if you go slow enough then we should avoid your feet getting hurt.”

 

“Excellent.”

 

It's fun. Ace usually spends entire parties standing in his hiding place, eating before and after the party instead of during, but Marco makes it fun. He dances slowly, leading, and whispers facts about everyone he can identify under their masks and even some that he can't. Ace adds things that he knows and grins the few times he startles a laugh from Marco.

 

“Can I interest you in another dance?” Marco asks as the song starts to end. “Or would you rather go back to the corner?”

 

“I could be persuaded,” Ace grins. “Think you've got something that will work?”

 

Marco laughs, “Well, I wouldn't go that far, I was just going to ask.”

 

“I don't know, that corner does look tempting and if we're gone too long we're going to have to chase a drunken couple out of it when we go back.”

 

“Just one more dance, I think the party is winding down.”

 

“One more,” Ace agrees, feeling disappointed that he wouldn't have longer to spend with Marco.

 

The second dance is nice, just as nice as the first, except Ace spends the whole time fighting to look at Marco and not his mouth. Ace hasn't been interested in anyone in a long time and Marco is at least sort of handsome, his mask doesn't cover as much as Ace's, and charming. He's also funny and interesting. And Ace is doomed.

 

He's already started this whole thing with a false name, and it's not like Marco would forgive him for lying. 

 

“I'm being summoned,” Marco sighs, as the song winds down. “But this was nice. Thank you.”

 

“I had fun too,” Ace says brightly, because he did. “It was better than the last party here that I went to.”

 

Marco smiles, “I'm glad that I helped make it better,” He tilts his head to the side. “I would like to kiss you, may I?”

 

Ace blinks, “I kind of lied about my name. Just, I feel that you should know that first.”

 

“I know. You and your father have come to meetings with mine, Ace, not even a mask is going to make you unrecognizable. I still want to kiss you.”

 

“Ass,” Ace mutters. “Here I was all worried.” He rocks up onto his toes, “I want my kiss.”

 

Marco grins ducking down to press their lips together, “I'll see you?”

 

“I would like that.” Ace agrees stepping out of Marco's arms. “Soonish?”

 

“Soon,” Marco agrees. “I'll just be going now.” He hurries off the dance floor, joining two rather startled looking men off to the side, and moving past them to where Newgate and Ace's father were still trying to clumsily continue their drinking contest.

 

“I am telling mom,” Sabo says appearing at his side like magic with Koala. “You just kissed someone!”

 

“Jesus,” Ace hisses, hand going to his chest. “I'm getting you a bell. Seriously?”

 

“You just kissed a random guest, you usually don't even leave your corner.”

  
“Actually,” Ace grins waving at Marco as they forced Newgate out the door. “I have a date.”


End file.
